In the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4, information representing an object is transmitted through a plurality of elementary streams (ESs). The relationship between the elementary streams and structural information of a link are transmitted by using object descriptors defined in the MPEG-4.
Generally, it requires Initial Object Descriptor (IOD), Binary Format for Scene (BIFS), object descriptors and media data to form a scene based on the MPEG-4.
The initial object descriptor is information that needs to be transmitted first in order to form the MPEG-4 scene. It describes a profile and level of each medium and it includes elementary stream descriptor for a BIFS stream and an object descriptor stream.
The object descriptor is a set of elementary stream descriptors that describe information on each media data forming a scene, and it provides a connection between an elementary stream and a scene description. Also, the BIFS stream is information that represents a spatial/temporal position and activity of video or audio objects that form a scene.
Since the MPEG-4 object descriptors are defined with a focus on the process of two-dimensional video at present, they provides a two-dimensional display service of a low sense of reality and a low cubic effect. Also, due to the rapidly increasing researches and attention on the three-dimensional video, three-dimensional video is used in many application areas, e.g., sports broadcasting, advertisement, education, medical services, and games. However, a structure of an object descriptor that includes the newly requested information such as the kind of three-dimensional video and a display method while maintaining compatibility with the MPEG-4 object descriptor is not introduced.
In short, the three-dimensional video is widely used in various application areas due to the development of computers and communication technology. Since the three-dimensional video can provide more vivid sense of reality and wide view range, compared to the conventional two-dimensional video, it can make a user enjoy video in a desired view point and a desired display method. However, the current MPEG-4 still focuses on processing the two-dimensional video, text data and computer graphics (CG), it cannot provide a service for processing three-dimensional real-picture video inputted through a camera. Consequently, the current MPEG-4 has a problem that it cannot overcome the limit in the transmission and display of three-dimensional video.